Soul Searching
by musagirl15
Summary: Nabu is dead and Riven is having a weird recurring nightmare. Losing faith in himself, because of his best friend's death, Riven sets off to find out who he is and what he can do. This is not a yaoi and there will be canon relationships.
1. Chapter 1

**Distributors**: I own nothing, duh. Cause if I did, I wouldn't be here. Also, I will warn you all, there are some spoilers from season 4, so read at your own risk. Also, I'm in America, so please I don't want reviews telling me that it's Aisha not Layla. Or anything of that sort, it does annoy me.

**Summary**: Nabu is dead and Riven is having a weird recurring nightmare. Losing faith in himself, because of his best friend's death, Riven sets off to find out who he is and what he can do. This is not a yaoi and I may not have any relationships in this. I'm doing this to let off steam from rl. Though if I do mention any relationships, they will be the canon ones.

* * *

The darkness is never ending and the silence is chilling. This place, feels sinister and tormenting. The smell of decaying flesh and a hint of blood is enough to make one vomit. Not knowing what else to do, he walks straight with no known direction or purpose. Still silence surrounds him, his own foot steps have no sound. He tries to speak, but he hears nothing. He tries once again, he pushes as much air out of his throat as he can to yell. Silence is still all there is. Then, voice surround him and engulf his ears. They don't make any sense, as there's too many yelling at once. All at once, they stop. Then another sound is heard. It's an echo, listening closer he runs to the source of the sound. The darkness is clearing and the sound is actually…

* * *

"ven! Riven!" Blinking his eyes, he sees one of his friends shaking his shoulder. "Dude, we have to pick up the girls and head to Magix." Sky shakes his head and leaves the room. Laying his head back done, Riven isn't in the mood to go back to Magix. When they came to Earth, there were six of them, but they will only be returning with five guys. Looking up at the ceiling, Riven sighs. "Man Nabu, I can't believe you sacrificed yourself." He remembers the day like it happened a few minutes ago, though it happened a few days ago. Riven clenches his hair in anger. "Some specialists we are, we let one of our own die." His eyes start to moisten, but he closes his eyes to stop the tears that threaten to fall. "I wasn't able to stop the men that threatened my friends." He ponders on a memory he has tried to so hard to forget. "I guess that witch was right." He gives himself a half smirk and shakes his head. "I am a loser."

* * *

During the ride back to Magix, Riven could feel himself getting tired. But he just kept shaking it off and tried to listen to Musa and Layla talk. That was, until Nabu's death came up. Riven excuses himself and heads for the back of the ship. Nabu's death upsets him for the very reason they were friends, but that doesn't seem likes that's the end of it. Just as he was thinking more into the reason, they arrive at Alfea.

Everyone says their goodbyes in their own ways, except for his and Musa. She looks at him, probably not sure of what to do herself, so he takes control. He steps forward, pats her shoulder and while walking away says goodbye. He doesn't bother to look back, so he misses the hurt look on her face. The trip to Red Fountain isn't as quiet as he would have liked, practically all of the guys are throwing their two cents at him. He ignores them, the darkness he's been seeing in his dreams is once again on his mind. He tries to make sense of it, but the answer eludes him.

* * *

The five specialists walk out of the ship and head to the headmaster's office. Being at the school brings back memories, but they aren't all good. 'You keep knocking on the devil's door long enough and sooner or later someone's gonna answer you.*' Riven pinches the bridge of his nose between his eyes, he takes a deep breath to subside the pain. He opens his eyes and continues after his friends as they head to Saladin's office.

* * *

The darkness is never ending and the silence is chilling. Riven blinks eyes, realizing he's in his dream. But how? He remembers walking into Saladin's office a second ago, how can he be sleeping? Suddenly he hears the echo again. Not wanting to wait like last time, he runs toward the noise. As he gets closer he can tell it's someone crying. Rushing towards the cries the appearance of a child is revealed, but the face is still hidden by the darkness. No matter what he does, Riven can't seem to get closer to the crying child. Then the child screams. 'Someone, help me!' But no sound is heard, except the child's own cries. 'Why won't anyone help me?!' Then a monster comes and tries to slash at Riven.

* * *

Blinking his eyes, Riven sees that the other specialists and he are in Saladin's office. Confused and breathing slightly heavy, he looks around and sees that's all eyes are on him. "I see that you're awake Riven, was I boring you?" Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, Riven shakes his head. "No sir, I was…just thinking…" Riven looks back at his friends, but turns away. After a few seconds, he raises his head. "I was just thinking that I need sometime off from missions." Sky and the others flinch back in surprise. Sky places his hand on Riven's shoulder. "Riven, are you okay?" Just as Riven is about to answer, he sees the monster and the crying child again. "Yeah, but I just feel I need to get away from Magix for awhile." Timmy fixes his glasses as he points out the obvious. "But Riven, we just got back." Clenching his fist, Riven shakes off Sky's hand and backs away from his four friends. "Look, it's just something I have to do, you guys wouldn't understand." He looks at Saladin. "I'll check in, now and then, goodbye sir." With that, Riven leaves the room.

* * *

As he walks out of Red Fountain, a voice stops him. "Seriously, what's wrong Riven?" Lifting up his head, Riven sees Helia standing at the exit of the school. Silence is all he needs to continue with his interrogation. "Is it because of what happened to Nabu?" Closing his eyes, Riven can see his best friend again. No tears fall from his eyes, only anger is formed. "No." A long pause follows, before he continues. "But it started since." Helia raises one of his eye brows in confusion. "What has Riven?" Biting his lip, Riven ruffles his own hair, as if to clear his mind. "That's the thing, I don't know. I started having these…visions? Or whatever they are, since Nabu…since that day things have changed and now I can't seem to be normal." Releasing his breath, Helia steps aside for Riven, but raises his hand to stop him just as Riven was about to pass by him.

Helia turns his head slightly and looks out the corner of his eye. "Where are you going? Or have you thought that far ahead?"

Riven gives a slight smirk and rolls his eyes. "Some what, but I have this." He holds a crinkled piece of paper, which looks rather old. Helia gives his friend a bored look. "What about Musa?" Riven looks away and fixes his bag. Helia sighs as he rubs his eyes. "You're not going to tell her, are you?" Riven starts to head off again. "We already had our goodbye. There's nothing more between us." Helia watches as Riven leaves Red Fountain. "Good luck my friend." Helia turns back to his old school. "I wonder which one of us will get yelled at for this?" And with that, he walks to the dorm he shares with the friends he still has left.

* * *

Comment: Well how was it? If you've read any of my old, old work, I hope my writing has improved and that you like the start of this new story.

*A quote from Four Brothers.


	2. Chapter 2

Feel free to review people, I don't bite. Sorry if I sounded mean, I was still in my writing mode.^^ Anyway, here's another chap.

* * *

He swings his purple phantoblade at the over grown Bingledip, but the beast dodges it. It launches it's claws at Riven, but déjà vu flashes before his eyes and he doesn't block the attack. Riven is thrown back and collides into a large tree. The leaves from the tree fall from it's branches and land on his hurt body. He looks over himself, nothing broken, but his thick, long sleeve shirt has some discoloration around the three slashes in the middle. "If I can't beat this…little beast, then I have no right to call…myself a specialist." Riven takes a breath and raises his phantoblade, then he charges at the seven foot tall monster.

* * *

Back at Alfea the girls walk into their new dorm as teachers, tired from showing Roxy around, they sit on their couches. Bloom stretches her arms in the air as she yawns. Stella and Flora both lay as they try to sleep. Tecna, though tired, texts Timmy. Layla, still sad about losing Nabu, walks to her room and shuts the door. While Musa, folds her arms across her chest as she thinks about how Riven acted. "What is with him?!" She can't figure out how she feels. Musa's mad that he didn't kiss her goodbye, let alone hug her. She's sad, because he's barely talked her since they got back together.

Bloom breaks Musa from her thoughts. "Maybe you should ask him Musa. I mean, you two did agree to be more open and honest with each other. Didn't you?" Musa snaps her fingers at Bloom's suggestion. "You're right, I'll call him." She takes out her phone and presses 2. There's no ringing, instead it goes to voice mail. _'Hey, it's Riven. Leave a message.' _Mad that Riven doesn't have his phone on, Musa hangs up. She shuts her phone and lays it on the table in front of her. "His phone is off." Stella opens her eyes. "Wow, I would be so worried if my honeybear didn't have his phone on." Stella gives a soft yawn before she picks her self up in a sitting position. "Though, now that you mention it, I want to know what he's doing." Stella takes out her phone and calls Brandon. Tecna bits her lip as she reads the text Timmy just sent. "Ah, Musa. Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news first?" All the girls look at Tecna. Musa thinks for a bit, before she decides. "Good news." Musa answers hopefully.

Placing her phone in her pocket, away from Musa's grasp, Tecna answers. "He left Red Fountain shortly after they arrived." Muas's eyes widen and she jumps to her feet. "What? Why did he leave?" She starts to pace around the room as she bites her nails. Flora turns to Tecna. "How is that good news?" But before Tecna can answer, Stella beats her to it. "He didn't tell anyone where he was going or when he would be back!" Tecna glares at Stella for her bluntness. Bloom walks over to Musa and tries to comfort her. "Don't worry about him Musa, I mean he is a Specialist and he's trained to good off to various places. Right?" Musa nods her head, but she still has scowl on her face. "But why didn't he tell me? Hell, he didn't even say goodbye!" She throws her arms up in the air and stomps to her room. Tecna sighs as she casts a look to Stella. "That could have been handled better." Stella shrugs off Tecna's innuendo. "No sense beating around the bush, plus no matter what we said would have changed the fact that he's not at Red Fountain. Now that I think about it, he might not even be in Magix by now."

* * *

Since the attack by the Bingledip, the sun begun to set. Soon darkness will surround Riven and he hasn't treated the gashes on his chest yet. As he walks, Riven sees an old split tree to his right. "Good…I finally found it." Taking a few deep breathes, Riven stuffs his hand in his pocket in search for that piece of paper he showed Helia. "After the…split tree, I go left and there should be a…clearing and there will be a statue." Riven folds the paper and returns it back to his pant pocket.

After twenty minutes, Riven arrives at a clearing. Though that's all he sees. No statue, sounds or even trees. "Maybe I haven't gone…far enough?" He flinches as the pain in his chest is getting worst and the blood isn't drying as quickly as he would hope. Riven lays his hand on his wound and applies presser, so the blood can start to clot. From walking all this way and that fight with the beast, not to mention his losing blood, Riven starts to feel light headed. Before he knows it, he passes out on the ground and his hands lands on a stone. Just as his eyes closed, a bright light shined and Riven's body disappeared.

* * *

At the same time at Red Fountain Sky says his goodbye to his girl friend as he walks into the dorm he shares with Brandon for a little while longer. Brandon puts down his weights as Sky lays his phone on the table. "So, how was your conversation?" Sky gave a half laugh as he shook his head. "Did Stella tell you that we need to find out where Riven went to or that we should have done more to stop him or that we should have told them sooner?" Brandon raises his finger to his chin, as he acts like he's in deep thought. "No, but I guess that's what Bloom told you?" Sky sighs, as he nods his head. "Sometimes I wonder how the girls view our friendship, I mean we are friends and fight together. But really, which one of us can make Riven listen to him?"

Brandon, once again does his thinking pose. "That would be Nabu, but he's not here anymore." Sky nods his head as he gets his things for a shower. "Exactly, but Bloom doesn't like that answer. So we are going after him." Brandon nods his head, but just as he picks up his weights, he thinks of something. "Are the girls coming too?" Just as Sky is about to shut the door, he turns his head. "Nope, they're teachers now, remember?" Brandon nods his head, as he thinks of some of the common areas Riven goes to train in Magix.


	3. Chapter 3

I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you my two reviewers.^^

**Sakura Blossom Storm**- Thank you for the first review.^^

**Chibi Horsewoman**- It's an honor, way back when I was addicted to FF, I enjoyed reading your Winx stories. I may have to go through your stories again.~_^

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* * *

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Opening his eyes, Riven sees the same darkness that has been haunting him for the last few days. Without waiting, he runs in the same direction he's been taking since his first experience of this dreadful place. Within a matter of minutes, if there is a concept of time here in his unconsciousness, he arrives at the screaming child. Though suddenly, as he sees the back of the child, Riven gets a weird feeling. At the same time, the child turns it's head and looks straight at him. The face of the child is still concealed by the shadows, but his eyes are quite clear. Those piecing red eyes stare at him as both stand in quietness of oblivion. Riven flinches as the child moves it's arm up, as if reaching towards him. Confused, Riven hesitates, but he too raise his hand toward the child. Their hands are inches from one another and the light in Riven's eyes start to grow dim as their hands…

Searing pain rushes through Riven's body as he starts to wake up. He grasps his chest where the source of the pain is coming from, but it doesn't settle. Riven holds his position, as to not inflict anymore unwanted pain upon himself, as he opens his eyes. He looks around, the forest he was once in is no more, instead he sees old worn down buildings and decaying land. As Riven tries to raise himself up, he chokes on the air he breaths. "What is this place?" As he gets a better view of this land, he continues to cough. "How did I" *cough* "get here?" Remembering the bag on his back, Riven turns it around and unzips one of the bigger pockets. He removes a weird shaped mask with a strap and zips up his bag. Riven puts the mask on his face and takes a breath. "Much better, though I didn't think I would need this." With no idea where he is, Riven decides to head towards the buildings. "There's got to be someone here that can answer my questions."

* * *

Back at Red Fountain, Timmy is using his computer to search for Riven. Scanning the text as it appears on his screen, he scrunches his eyebrows and bites his lower lip. "This can't be right." He enters in more information, but still he gets the same thing flashing before his eyes. No Trace. Frustrated with not being able to find Riven, Timmy bawls up his fists and hits his desk. "Woah. Timmy, what's up?" Sighing, Timmy turns his chair around and faces Brandon and Sky. "No matter what I do, I can't find Riven. I've checked Magix, Earth, Solaria, every realm he's been on, I've checked." Timmy removes his glasses as he rubs his eyes. "But I keep getting the same thing, no trace." Sky and Brandon ponder where Riven could be. Brandon gets an idea. "We can track him, can't we? I mean he couldn't just disappear in thin air." Timmy thinks about Brandon's suggest and then turns back to his computer. "That could work, let me just…" Timmy lets his sentence trail off as he gets to work.

* * *

At the same time at Alfea, Musa is teaching her class outside. Lowering her flute, Musa sighs. "Okay, I'll let you all practice amongst yourselves." She watches her students practice both their offensive and defensive powers, before she turns away and walks up the small hill. Seeing the lone tree, Musa walks to the other side of it and traces the markings that were left not so long ago. "I can't believe it's been two years." Musa starts to trace the R + M inside the heart. "Why do you have to be so difficult Riven?" She hits the tree, but no matter how hard she tries, Musa can't stay mad at Riven. Just as she reaches her students, the bell signaling the end of class rings, so she waves them off. Musa heads to her classroom to grab her bag, but just as she grabs it, her cell phone rings. "Hello? Hey Tec…What do you mean? I'll be right there." With that, Musa runs out of her classroom.

* * *

With the sun setting, Riven finally arrives in the town. Even though it's nearing night, he hasn't seen or heard anyone since he woke up. Still not knowing where he is, Riven gives up and takes his phone out of his back pocket. But when he pressed the power button, it refused to turn on. "Damn, you can't be serious." Having no more use for his cell phone, Riven decides to throw it over his shoulder, but just as he raises his arm the pain in his chest begins to hurt again. Riven's chest feels as if it's on fire and falls to his hands, so he rips the front of his shirt off. He looks at his burning chest, the slash marks are swollen and have turned from red to black since hewoke up. "What's wrong with me? A Bingledip scratch shouldn't have done this!" Closing his eyes, Riven thinks how he went from enjoying his life with his friends to being in the middle of no where completely alone.

Just as Riven starts to fall into self loathing, a twig breaks. He quickly pulls out his saber to defend himself. "Don't worry sir, I mean you no harm." An old woman appears out of the darkness, her gray hair in tangles and her eyes half hidden by her wrinkles and long gray bangs. "Oh dear, let me take you to my home and treat your wounds." Seeing no harm in taking assistance from the old woman, Riven puts his blade away and pushes himself up. The old woman tilts her head at Riven's shaky form. "Can you walk?" Riven nods his head, while he bites his cheek as the pain is not only in his chest, but now traveling down his thighs. "Then follow me." The two disappear in the darkness of the shadows, while Riven's phone and bag lay forgotten on the ground behind them.

* * *

Thoughts swirl around Musa's head as her and the gang, minus Layla, are eating pizza. After getting Tecna's call, all Musa's been is worried. Timmy said he can't find Riven anywhere and no one is able to get in contact with him, which scares her even more. Pushing her plate away, Musa doesn't feel like eating antmore, not when Riven is who knows where. "Are you sure he didn't tell you where he was going?" Helia sighs as he looks at Musa from behind his bangs. "Yes Musa. All Riven told me was that he's been having weird visions and showed me an old piece of paper, then he left." Covering her mouth with her left hand, she taps the table with the other. "What if it has to do with his parents?" Everyone looks at Flora. Sky's eyes widen and he turns to Musa. "Yeah, what realm did he come from Musa?" Musa plays with her fingers and averts everyone's gaze. "I don't…well…know." The table goes silent and a couple of them continue to eat their pizza. "I've asked him, but he always changed the subject or got mad and left." Feeling a rush of anger, Musa hits the table with her fist. "Maybe I should have pushed harder and then he'd be able to talk to me about what's wrong with him!"

After they finish their pizza, the guys load onto their bikes and the girls transform into their Enchantix forms. As they say their goodbyes, something zips around all of them. Stella clings to Brandon. "What was that?!" A little pixie surfs in the middle of them. "Hey everyone, it's be awhile!" The little pixie smiles up at her old friends. Bloom steps forward and hugs the pixie. "Hey Livy, what are you doing here?" Livy places her finger on her chin as she tries to remember the reason why she came to them. "Umm…" Musa rolls her eyes as she starts to head back to Alfea, hoping Riven will call her.

Just as Musa is about to leave, Livy speaks up. "Now I remember, one of the pixie animals told me they saw Riven heading up Mt. Albia yesterday." Looking at one another, the same thought passes threw their heads. "If Riven is at Mt. Albia, why didn't he come up on my computer?" Timmy takes out his mini computer and does his calculations. "Who cares, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind." Bloom grabs Musa's hand. "Calm down Musa, besides it's too dark to go to the mountain right now." Musa grudgingly nods her head, while Bloom waves the pixie of messages off. "Thanks Livy, have a safe trip." As the group watches Livy fly away, Flora comes up with an idea. "How about we think more about this in the morning? We've all had a long day." The gang nods their heads and goes their separate ways, but as the girls head to Alfea, Musa can't get the idea of something bad happening to Riven out of her mind.


End file.
